Every CouchApp must have a .couchapprc file in the application directory. This file is a JSON object which contains configuration parameters that the command-line app uses to build and push your CouchApp.
The couchapp generate and couchapp init commands create a default version of this file for you.
If you don't have a .couchapprc file, couchapp will display the dreaded couchapp error: You aren't in a couchapp message.